Parachute canopy deployment control apparatus

Abstract

A system for controlling the deployment of a parachute canopy having a pair of reinforcement ribbons secured to the canopy. The lower edge of the canopy is turned inward and has reefing rings which engage a reefing line that passes through reefing rings secured to the upper reinforcement ribbon. An anti-inversion netting is secured to the outer surface of the canopy adjacent the lower reinforcement ribbon; the anti-inversion netting has control lines connected to the lower edge adjacent alternate radial seams. The control lines have reefing rings which engage the reefing line. Suspension line guide rings secure the netting to the suspension lines at radial seams between those having the anti-inversion netting control lines.

I claim: 
     
       1. In combination with a parachute system having a parachute canopy with a skirt band around the bottom thereof and a plurality of radial seams with a parachute suspension line secured to each of said radial seams, comprising: a first reinforcement ribbon secured to said canopy a predetermined distance from the bottom edge of the canopy; a second reinforcement ribbon secured to the canopy a distance from the first ribbon substantially equal to the distance between the first ribbon and the edge of the canopy; an anti-inversion netting secured to the outer surface of said parachute canopy along the first reinforcement ribbon; a reefing line; means for securing the reefing line to said second reinforcement ribbon internally of said canopy adjacent each radial seam; means for securing the lower edge of said canopy to said reefing line; means for securing said anti-inversion netting to said reefing line and to the parachute suspension lines at alternate radial seams and means for connecting the anti-inversion netting to the parachute suspension lines at the radial seams between said alternate radial seams. 
     
     
       2. The device as recited in claim 1 wherein said means for securing the reefing line to the second reinforcement ribbon includes a pair of reefing rings secured to said second reinfocement ribbon adjacent each radial seam with the reefing rings surrounding the reefing line; said means for securing the lower edge of the canopy to the reefing line includes a reefing ring secured to the canopy skirt band adjacent each radial seam and being adapted to surround the reefing line at a position adjacent the reefing rings which are secured to the second reinfocement ribbon. 
     
     
       3. The device as recited in claim 2 wherein said means for securing the anti-inversion netting to the reefing line and to the parachute suspension lines at alternate radial seams includes guide rings secured to the alternate suspension lines and Y shaped control lines passing through said guide rings and connected to the anti-inversion netting adjacent the alternate radial seams; one of the legs of each Y-shaped control line being connected to the corresponding suspension line and the other leg of each Y-shaped control line being connected to a reefing ring adapted to surround the reefing line at a position adjacent the reefing rings secured to the second reinforcement ribbon.